Material handling apparatus



May 1935.

I F. 'S. MILI ER MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS Fi led Sept. 25, 1931 3Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 y 7, 1935. F. s. MILLERMATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 25, 1931 y 7, 1935. F. s. MILLERMATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 25, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR M A? m A12 44-, m

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Patented May 7, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,000,292 MATERIALHANDLING srrm'rus Frank S. Miller, Steubenvillc, Ohio ApplicationSeptember 25, 1931, Serial No. 565,060

3 Claims. (01. 198-81) The present invention relates broadly to the artof handling materials, and more particularly to an apparatus especiallydesigned and constructed for the selecting of sheet materials such 5 astin plate and the like. It will be understood,

however, that the utility of the invention is not limited with respectto the particular materials being handled, it being equally applicableto any flat or substantially fiat materials having magneticcharacteristics. The terms sheets" and sheet material" as hereinafterused therefore, unless specifically limited, are to be construed broadlyas words of definition and not words of limitation.

At the present time it is necessary to subject tin plate, for example,to a rigid inspection, the sheets usually being divided into threegeneral classifications as follows-primes, wasters and menders. Theprimes are obviously sheets suitable for regular commercial use. Themenders are sheets which require further coating, while the wasters aresheets which are not acceptable commercially for the intended purpose.

In the present practice of handling tin plate, it is necessary toseparately inspect both sides of the sheets and then individually countand pile the prime sheets, the counter usually being referred to as areckoner. The required number of sheets having been counted and piled,they are weighed to determine the actual weight of the box.

The present invention has for one of its objects the provision of anapparatus by which the inspection, counting, piling and weighing ofsheets of the general character referred to may be performedautomatically, thereby reducing the inspection costs, eliminating thereckoner, and precluding the possibility of errors in counting.

In the accompanying drawings there is illustrated more or lessdiagrammatically one embodiment of the present invention. In thedrawings:

Figure l is a top plan view of the left hand end or entering end of theapparatus;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the portion of the structureillustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the right hand end of the apparatus, andshows a continuation of the structure illustrated in Figure l;

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the apparatus illustrated inFigure 3, and constitutes a continuation of the structure of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a wiring diagram for the apparatus; and

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic view illustrating one form of magnetic rollconstruction.

Referring first to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, there is showndiagrammatically a portion of an automatic feeder 2 efiective fordelivering sheets to the inspecting, counting, piling and weighingapparatus. This apparatus as herein illustrated comprises alongitudinally extending frame 3 within which is journaled a series ofsupporting rollers l for a non-magnetic conveyor 5. This conveyor isherein illustrated as comprising a series of endless fabric bandspassing around a feed-in roller 6 at one end and a discharge roller I atthe opposite end, the desired tension being maintained on the conveyorby means of an adjustable idler 8 of'suitable construction. The conveyoris adapted to be driven in any desired manner as, for example, from ashaft 9 operatively connected to the discharge roller 1.

Sheets having been supplied to the apparatus by the automatic feeder 2,are delivered to the conveyor 5 and caused to travel in the directionindicated by the arrows l0. During this travel they pass an inspector'sstation S where they undergo an examination. If the sheets aredefectively coated, as in the case of menders, they are permitted totravel under a cross conveyor ll comprising a series of magnetizablerollers l2. When under this conveyor, the rollers are magnetized by theinspector at the station S, and the menders lifted from the conveyor 5and caused to travel in the direction of the arrow l4. On the otherhand, wasters are permitted to travel to a second cross conveyor l5similar in construction to the conveyor II, and in turn including aseries of magnetizable rollers l6. When the wasters come under theconveyor l5 it is energized by the inspector at station S, and thewasters thereby caused to travel in the direction indicated by the arrowII. This brings them over a second conveyor l8 similar to the conveyor5, and travelling over a roller l9 at the end adjacent the conveyor l5,and over a roller 20 at the opposite end. The roller 20 is preferably inline with the roller 1 and adapted to be driven by the power shaft 9. Inthis manner the two con-' veyors 5 and I8 can be continuously driven inthe desired synchronous relation.

If the sheets are primes, they are permitted by the before mentionedinspector to travel past the mender conveyor II and the waster conveyorI5 to a turn-over reel 2| carried by a shaft 22 and adapted to berotated in the direction indicated by the arrow 23 in any desiredmanner.

During such rotation, the fingers of the reel engage the prime sheetsand invert them, depositing them on the conveyor 6 with the oppositeside uppermost. The continued travel of the sheets causes them to passan inspector's station S where they undergo a second inspection.

If the sheets are menders, they are permitted to travel to a secondmender conveyor 24, similar to the conveyor H and effective whenenergized for causing the sheets to travel in the direction indicated bythe arrow 25. If they are wasters, they are brought under a wasterconveyor 26, similar to the conveyor l5 and effective for transferringthe sheets from the conveyor 5 to the conveyor l8. The sheets passed byboth inspectors as being prime sheets as to both sides, continue theirtravel on the conveyor 5.

The waster sheets removed by the waster conveyor |5 are carried by theconveyor I8 to the discharge end thereof. At the discharge end of theapparatus there is a prime conveying mechanism 21 and a waster conveyingmechanism 28. These two mechanisms are of similar construction, eachincluding a piler and counter 29 with each of which cooperates a stop36, and each including a weighing platform 3|.

By reference to Figure 6, one form of mender or waster conveyorstructure will be understood. In this figure there is illustrateddiagrammatically a portion of the mender conveyor including the rolls l2with which cooperates a magnet 32 illustrated in dotted lines in Figure2. Similar magnets 33, 34 and 35 cooperate respectively with the wasterconveyor l5, the mender conveyor 24 and the waster conveyor 26. Bysupplying current to the windings 36 on any one of these magnets, therolls are magnetized to such an extent that the sheets lying immediatelythereunder are lifted from the non-magnetic conveyors and caused totravel in the direction in which the rolls of the respective conveyorsare driven, it being understood that any desired driving means for thispurpose may be provided.

In Figure 5 the control mechanism for the motors is diagrammaticallyillustrated. In this figure I have shown line wires L and L' connectedto a suitable current source not shown. To these wires are connected themagnets 32, 33, 34 and 35 through suitable circuits to control switches31, 38, 39 and 46, respectively, the switches 31, and 38 beingaccessible to the inspector at station S, and theswitches 39 and 46being accessible to the inspector at station S, whereby the inspector ateither station may readily energize the rolls of either conveyor atwill.

Adjacent each of the discharge rollers 1 and 26 there is provided alight source 4| above the conveyor and so disposed as to direct lightrays onto a suitable light responsive mechanism 42 which may comprise aselenium cell, grid glow tube or the like. This light responsivemechanism includes a local circuit 43 in which is placed a solenoidoperated switch 44. With the light responsive mechanism directly exposedto the light rays from the light source 4|, the unit will becomeconductive in such manner that the solenoid switch 44 will be energizedand the contactor 45 thereof raised out of engagement with the contacts46 and 41. Each time, however, that a sheet passes between the lightsource and the light responsive mechanism, the light responsivemechanism will become non-conductive and the circuit 43 will thus bedeenergized, thereby permitting the contactor 45 to engage the contacts46 and 41.

With these contacts engaged, current will flow from the line wire Lthrough wire 48 to contact 46 and thence through contactor 45 to contact41. This contact has a connection 49 to one terminal of a solenoid 56,the opposite terminal of which has a connection 5| to the line wire L.

Thus with the circuit including the solenoid 56 closed by the contactor,the solenoid will be energized and effective for moving its core 52 tothe left as viewed in Figure 5 against the action of a return spring 53.This movement will be effective through a pawl 54 for rotating a ratchetwheel 55 in a counter-clockwise direction. Secured to the shaft 56 ofthe ratchet wheel is a pinion 51 meshing with a gear 58 mounted on ashaft 59. Secured to the shaft 59 is an adjustable circuit closingcontact 66 cooperating with a brush 6|.

With the contact 66 in engagement with the brush 6|, current will flowfrom line wire L through wire 62 to a solenoid 63, thence by way ofbrush 6| and contact 66 to wire 64 connected to the line wire L. Thiswill be effective for energizing the solenoid 63 and thereby moving oneor the other of the stops 36 downwardly against the action of a returnspring 65. The downward movement of the stop will permit a previouslyformed and counted pile P to travel onwardly along either the conveyor21 or 28 to one of the weighing platforms 3| where it will beautomatically weighed and then discharged from the conveyor to asuitable automatic boxing machine not shown. Al-

though the conveyors 21 and 26 may be driven.

conveyors, they are preferably so installed in actual practice as to beefiective as gravity conveyors, so that the weight of the piles producesthe desired travel of the material therealong.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that each time asheet passes between the light source 4| and the light responsive unit42, the solenoid circuit 56 will be energized and the ratchet wheel 55moved a distance equal to one tooth, such movement being insured by theprovision of an adjustable stop 66 cooperating with the solenoid core52. As soon as the sheet has passed out from between the source 4| andthe unit 42, the local circuit 43 will again be energized for breakingthe solenoid circuit 56 and permitting the return spring 53 to move thepawl 54 into position to engage a succeeding tooth of the ratchet. Thisoperation will be repeated each time a sheet travels in the pathmentioned. If the ratchet 55 is provided with twenty teeth, and thegears 51 and 58 have a 1 to 5 ratio, the gear 58 will be rotated oncefor each operations of the ratchet wheel 55. If piles of 100 sheets aredesired, the adjustable contact 66 will be so set that it will notengage the brush 6| until the gear 58 has made a complete revolution. Ifpiles of 56 are desired, the parts would be set so that the stop circuitwill be energized for each half revolution of the gear 58. In thismanner successive sheets are automatically piled against one of thestops 36, automatically counted by the apparatus and then automaticallyreleased. This same procedure applies both to the prime sheets and tothe wasters, thus enabling'an accurate count to be maintained at alltimes without manual intervention.

The advantages of the present invention arise from the provision of amechanism effective for enabling successive inspection of opposite sidesof successive sheets, and the division of sheets into the desiredaccepted classifications with the for rendering said cross conveyorsindividually subsequent automatic counting, piling, and weighing ofcertain of the sheets.

While I have herein illustrated and described a preferred embodiment ofthe present invention, it will be understood that changes in theconstruction and operation of the parts may be made without departingeither from the spirit of the present invention or the scope of mybroader claims.

I claim:

1. In a material handling apparatus, a conveyor, a plurality ofindividually operative cross conveyors for receiving material therefrom,means for rendering said cross conveyors individually operative, atum-over mechanism receiving material to be turned over immediately fromsaid first mentioned conveyor, a second series of cross conveyors forreceiving material from said tumover mechanism, and means for renderingthe conveyors of said second series operative at will.

2. In a material handling apparatus, a conveyor, a plurality ofindividually operative cross conveyors for receiving material therefrom,means operative, a tum-over mechanism cooperating with said firstmentioned conveyor, a second series of cross conveyors for receivingmaterial from said tum-over mechanism, and means for rendering theconveyors of said second series operative at will, there being aconveyor extending substantially parallel to said first mentionedconveyor and cooperating with one of the cross conveyors of each series.

3. In a material handling apparatus, a pair of substantially parallellongitudinally extending conveyors, a pair of spaced cross conveyorseffective for transferring material from one of said first mentionedconveyors to the other at spaced points, and a turnover mechanismcooperating with one of said conveyors intermediate said points, saidcross conveyors being of the magnetic type and being constructed andarranged to-lift material from said one of said first mentionedconveyors and convey the same laterally to the other.

FRANK S. MILLER.

